Curriculum
The MSIT-SEM curriculum is made up of courses and study programs from 5 groups: core courses, academic electives, SEI professional training, SEI professional training electives, and a practicum.
Core Courses (72 units required)
Core courses provide background and develop skills in the technical, business context, and management focus areas. Core courses are offered by the Heinz School and the School of Computer Science.
Academic Elective Courses (36 units required)
Academic elective courses round out student backgrounds and provide focus and depth. Students select academic elective courses with input from their academic advisors. Academic electives are offered by the Heinz School and the School of Computer Science.
Required SEI Professional Training (1 SEI Certificate required)
MSIT-SEM students are required to earn one SEI Certificate. For more information about SEI Certificates, visit www.sei.cmu.edu/credentials/sepm.html.
SEI Professional Training Electives (2-4 courses required)
In addition to successfully completing an SEI Certificate Programs, students must select additional SEI professional courses to bring their total of SEI professional courses to eight. Because the requirements for certain SEI Certificates overlap, it is possible that an MSIT-SEM student could earn two Certificates. The complete list of SEI courses is available at www.sei.cmu.edu/products/courses/courses.html.
Practicum (42 units required)
A core philosophical commitment of the MSIT-SEM program is to hands-on experience in applying the concepts learned in class to real-world projects. The Practicum component provides an opportunity for MSIT–SEM degree students to have a direct, mentored application of the academic concepts taught in the core courses and to draw upon the specialization provided through elective courses and SEI professional courses. The practicum provides a setting in which MSIT–SEM students undertake a project from real organizations. It is possible for students to work alone on projects, or they may work in small project teams. Students are responsible for all managerial, design, and technical aspects of the project. Presentation skills and general communication skills are explicit elements of the Practicum and are constantly evaluated to equip students to be more effective. The Practicum consists of 42 units taken over 5 academic terms.
David Garlan
Director of MSE Programs, Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science
David Garlan is the director of master’s-level programs and a professor of computer science in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon, where he currently heads the ABLE Project. This project focuses on the development of languages and environments to support the construction of software system architectures. The primary emphasis of this effort is on developing a scientific, formal basis for describing, analyzing, and using software architectures.
Dr. Garlan’s research interests include the application of formal methods to the construction of reusable software architectures, programming environments, tool integration, and interactive maps.